In sickness and in health
by Kailey Hamilton
Summary: It takes more than time, distance, bludgers and curses to break Katie Bell and Oliver Wood apart. In the end, they're always there for each other when they need it most. Katie/Oliver one-shot for Emily.


_**Notes:**__ For** Emily (percychased**, AKA my OTP twin) first and foremost. Also for the second Hunger Games Fanfic Style Competition (Prompts: Word, emotion, setting, weapon and dialogue.) Special thanks to **Lissy (Lissy Stage)** for helping me when I got seriously stuck._

* * *

**In sickness and in health**

"That was a horrible fall. It's good to see you're alright."

It was kind for Katie Bell to be visiting him at the hospital wing, considering they'd never spoken before. Oliver only knew her name because he'd heard the rumour she was a decent flier.

"It's alright. I'll be fine. Weasley got the snitch, so we didn't lose."

She let out a loud laugh. Heads turned to them, but she didn't seem to notice. Oliver wondered if he'd said something funny - he certainly didn't think he had.

"You could've died, Wood. But hey, we won."

"I play to win."

"You can't win if you're dead." She didn't give him time for a comeback, so he had to settle for a smile. "Anyway, I brought you some Chocolate Frogs. Chocolate makes people happy."

"Thanks." Katie was placing three little boxes on his nightstand. He opened one right away. The first thing he did was to take the card out and show it to her. "Do you collect these?"

"I only started this year."

"So you're a Muggleborn?" _And she flies well?_

"My mother is a witch - a Muggleborn herself. I was raised as a Muggle, mostly. Never had anyone to swap cards with."

"No cousins or siblings or...?"

"No one. Muggles collect different sort of cards."

"Well. I've collected them since I was really young, so you can keep these if I already have them. I'm only missing Randolph Keitch and-"

"A Quidditch player is missing Randolph Keitch."

"You know who he is?"

"Anyone who's read _Quidditch Through the Ages _knows who he is. But that's okay. I mean, I wouldn't do that if I were you. I wouldn't want to say that, then get a difficult card I already have but I can swap. Just keep them."

In any other case, he would've taken that into consideration. In this case, he didn't think it would've been such a sacrifice. He would've been bored and sad if this girl hadn't shown up. But her negative was too firm to disrespect.

"Alright, then. Thanks."

"No problem." She rose from her seat. "I really have to go now. I hope you get well soon and get Keitch, too."

He smiled. "Thanks."

It took him long to get down from that heightened state of joy. Katie Bell - a girl with a crush, no doubt. He was used to younger girls and crushes on their Keeper. It was natural, he'd been told. Oliver, however, felt too young for such a thing. Those girls certainly were. And in general, he just wasn't fond of crushes.

But for once, he really didn't mind them at all.

* * *

It had taken all his strength for him to even want to see Harry. All his strength, and a good dose of Katie's scolding. Or manipulative tactics. It was hard to place how was it that she made him feel bad about not going to see Harry after such a fall.

Oliver would be mad at her, if she hadn't been right.

_If he keeps blaming himself_, she'd said, _he won't perform well and we'll certainly lose._

He had a feeling that he should be feeling more compassion toward his seeker, but that's just how Katie managed to convince him. It wasn't that he didn't care for Harry as a person - he just had a harder time relating to him as such. His team was his family, and his hope, and seeing Harry in such a state made him feel conflicted.

But this visit wasn't for his benefit - so there he was.

"I'm sorry, Wood."

"Oh no, I don't blame you at all. There were Dementors all around."

"But they only affected _me_."

"For the tenth time," Katie spoke. "No one blames you, Harry. These things happen, Dementors or not. Did Oliver ever tell you about the time he fell off his broom?"

"Do you really need to-"

"When did that happen?"

"Tell him, Oliver."

There was no way out of recalling such a shameful memory. He hadn't fallen off as much as he'd taken a bludger to his head. But that's not how Katie liked to recall it, for some reason, and he told Katie's version because then, Harry wouldn't feel guilty any longer.

As Harry winced in empathetic pain, the corner of Oliver's eye caught Katie's mischievous little smile.

* * *

It took a hospital stay for Oliver to see Katie again.

He was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes that day. And it was the first time he saw her in two years. Oliver couldn't forgive himself. Life had taken him too far away from Hogwarts, but how could he forget Katie?

No. He never forgot Katie. He never saw a reason why. The impression her kindness left on him wasn't easy to ignore. The imprint of Katie's smile was the one to bring him out of his misery, the one he wanted to see in his victories and losses. Even the sight of chocolate frogs... Yes, Oliver remembered the three chocolate frogs and the cards he'd never collected, but forgotten since then. Every little thing that could possibly bear the name Katie Bell would never have any other. She was everywhere, everything.

And he was, once again, a perfect stranger.

A man with a crush.

Who knows for how long - he certainly didn't. All Oliver knew is that he wanted Katie in his life, and he wanted to be there for her as she'd been there for him. He knew Katie to be in a great deal of pain, but there were no tears. She seemed so empty, so eerie. There was something beyond human in her expression, as if she'd seen life beyond death. As if she was alive by pure chance.

But he was the one feeling empty and eerie, because something was wrong. Katie was all wrong. And he knew it wasn't true, but he felt it was his fault.

"Hi." What else could he say?

"Hello."

"How are you feeling?"

"At least alive," she answered quickly.

"Alive is good." The corners of her mouth twitched, which gave him strength. "It's good to see you, Katie."

"Same here, captain Wood."

Oliver chuckled. "I haven't been called that for a long time - who knows how long it'll be until I'm made captain once again."

"Key word _until_," she pointed out. "But you'll always be captain Wood to me."

"Is Harry doing a good job?"

"Of course he is! Harry is amazing, as always." Only Katie could be so authentic in her praise, seeing as she should've been made captain instead. "After all he went through last year, I'm really glad to see things are working out for him." She sighed. "Leanne tells me he was there when it happened. I thought he might've seen who... who did it. He's always there when things happen, isn't he? But he didn't see, apparently."

"What happened?" The details hadn't truly reached him.

"I was attacked with an Imperius curse and given a cursed object to bring to the castle. To Dumbledore," Katie clarified. She was shaking now. "Someone wanted to kill Dumbledore. I touched it through a hole in my glove, apparently. I really don't remember. It just hurts. Who knows when I'll be able to leave this bed for good."

Oliver wondered if it'd be too out of place to hold her hand. He was sitting right next to her, closer than he ever remembered being, yet he felt her slipping away.

"I'm so sorry, Katie."

"It's not your fault."

"I should've been there... and I should've been here before. I'm sorry I abandoned you."

"You didn't _abandon_ me. We just lost touch. You're here now."

"But all these years, Katie..."

"We went separate ways. People come and go, don't they?"

Was she bitter, or genuinely careless? Both options were equally mortifying.

"I didn't want that. You were always there for me and I-"

"You were there for me too, in your own way. It's okay, Oliver. It's natural. You didn't write, but I didn't write either. You're a star, and I'm an overwhelmed student, and I promise it's okay. You're here now."

"I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

Her tone made him want to apologize again, and he didn't know why. But he thought it better. It wasn't fair of him to push his feelings of guilt onto her when she was unable to deal with them.

"Will do," he said instead. "I'll be here now, if you don't mind."

"Don't get me wrong. I did miss you, Oliver."

This time, he allowed himself to place his hand on top of hers.

"I missed you too."

* * *

"Katie."

She was in his arms, burying her face in his shoulder. She had run to him, held him tight, so tight that Oliver wasn't sure who needed it most. He didn't care if it hurt. Having Katie with him felt too good.

"My ribs, Katie," he said softly.

"I'm so sorry. I'm just... I'm just so happy it's over," she said.

"It is, and you're alive and well. Just look at yourself." He let her go and looked at her. She was frail, but not broken. "Not a single scratch."

Oliver couldn't say the same thing about himself, but his broken ribs would heal quickly and he could stand on two feet. In the meantime, he did prefer to hang around the hospital wing. The hospital wing used to have a great view of the Quidditch pitch - now it was ashes and smoke. So many memories had burned down with the stands and the hoops, the green grass and-

"I heard you fought on a broom the whole time," Katie interrupted his thoughts, "and took down an army of giants by yourself."

"Well, not by myself. I had help. But yes, we defeated the giants flying on the school's old comets. The real question is, how did you even survive this battle without a wand?"

"Pepper spray. It's a thing Muggle women use to keep attackers away." Katie pulled off a can from a pocket Oliver didn't even know she had. He wondered what other secret pockets she had, and what was in them. "It's got a spicy component, and you spray it on someone's eyes... it's a weapon in all its glory, and one Muggles aren't shy on selling to women. Until the attackers figure out how to heal themselves, I have enough time to escape. You wouldn't be scared by this if you didn't know, wouldn't you? They weren't either. I'm the best of two worlds, Wood. They can't beat me."

That was Katie for him: cheerful optimism in sad times, refusing to become an empty shell and instead, filling herself with emotion when others would've shunned it. That's why he loved her.

"That thing sounds like something Fred and George would-" He interrupted himself. Oliver wanted to be happy for their victory, but how could he when so many loved ones were dead? How could things go back to normal?

"Yeah, well." Katie seemed to feel the same way. "That's also how I escaped the snatchers, even though they burned down my house and got my wand." She shrugged, and he kept quiet. Oliver knew that one day, he'd hear the whole story. But it wasn't a good day for it. "The wand I stole in battle is good for the time being, until I'm able to get a new one."

"You won't need a good wand if you play Quidditch, anyway."

"You know, Oliver? That's a great point. If someone takes me-"

"They will. You're good. You told me last year that you got offers."

"I did." She allowed herself to smile. Katie had many reasons to. It was over, and she was well, even after fighting for all she had lost.

"You're so brave," he said.

"I don't think I am. I just survived long enough to fight. Courage," she added, "was the time you fell from your broom and I went to visit you. That took courage. This? This isn't courage. I didn't want to fight. I just had to. I was dragged into this against my will. It's my duty to fight back."

_I love you,_ Oliver wanted to say. It was the only answer he could think of. He was sure he did, but did she? He couldn't help but wonder, for the hundredth time, if something had survived of Katie's childhood crush, if he hadn't killed that part of her in morning practices and repeated plays. He wouldn't blame her if there was no emotion left for him. But how could he think of that, when Katie didn't even have a roof over her own head? How could he think of romance with a girl who was forced to become a woman too quickly? How could he pretend to walk into her life and make himself a big part of it, when she had to rebuild it all over?

_But I'm not walking out. I'm not going anywhere. She might be able to do it all by herself, but it doesn't have to be like that._

"Do you have somewhere to sleep tonight, Katie?"

"I hadn't thought of that," she admitted. "I guess... I guess I don't."

"Come with me, then. You can stay at my place for as long as you want. There's room for the two of us. I'll sleep on the couch."

Katie laughed. Oliver was thrown back to the time when her loud laughter had turned heads on that very same place - as it was doing now.

"You know you don't have to do this. I can-"

"Yeah, well, but what makes you think that I wouldn't _want _to?" Oliver's response was a little bit too impassioned. It had Katie listening. And just as it was unfair to force his feelings on her, it seemed wrong to keep her in the dark. "I'm going to be honest here. I'm crazy about you, Katie. Merlin knows for how long. I don't expect anything from you. Not now. Not ever, really. Bottom line is, you're my friend, and I want you to be well, and I want you to succeed. So yes. I have to do this, and I wish I could do more."

Her first response was a kiss - short and sweet, a little piece of glory that was gone before he could realize it was really happening. It was really Katie kissing him, and it wasn't a dream.

Next thing he knew, there was a blush on Katie's cheeks and her gaze flickered, but didn't turn away.

"Not now," she repeated his words. "Yeah. I can agree with that. But we've got time after life gets better."

* * *

When he was finally welcome into the room, Oliver practically pushed his way in. He was, for once, glad to be there. Even happier that it had been long since he'd even been in St. Mungo's... but still. His wife had just given birth to their child. He was in no position to complain. Katie looked exhausted, but happy. She was holding a baby so small that it seemed surreal. His hand was the size of a galleon, and it was clutching Katie's shirt in his sleep.

Their baby boy.

"He's so small," Oliver blurted out.

"Try giving birth to him, then talk to me about how small he is. Millennia of wizarding history still hasn't given us a way to prevent pain during childbirth." But her eyes were fixed on the baby, and while she whined, she wore a big smile.

"You very well know I would've taken the pain if I could."

"You were wonderful" Oliver leaned in for a kiss, which she gave him readily."I was better, but you were wonderful."

"I have to agree." He looked at the baby -his _son_\- once again. It was hard to believe he had become a father. Even more, he was going into this adventure with the only woman he could ever love. He'd never imagined a family life for himself. He never imagined that this one life goal would become just as important as his lifelong dream of having a bright Quidditch career.

He'd opened his home to Katie once. Five years had passed since then, and he was glad she never left.

"We need to find a name, Oliver. We can't call him Baby forever."

"Are you still against naming him after Randolph Keitch?"

"Oliver..."

"I had to try. I never did find his card, so at least-"

"Something that ties us together. Yes. Very romantic. I'm not doing that to my boy - he deserves a fresh start." Katie sighed. He could see her point. "I never told you this, I think. I got my hands on some chocolate frogs while on the run -don't even ask- and I got Randolph Keitch on one of them. Turn out the snatchers were missing it too. They fought over it. It might have just saved my life, you know? But I kept it all I could. It always reminded me of you. We used to go through long stretches of time without seeing each other, yet you were always there."

He couldn't have found a way of describing it better. That was it - a warm yet distant friendship that stood the test of time and turned into a steady, burning love. It was luck rather than destiny. Luck that had brought him the right person at the right time, and that hadn't allowed him to ever forget her.

"So no Randolph," he said. "Well. We need to go over our list, but I think you need to rest now. Don't think about it. It won't hurt him to be just Baby for the next few days."

Katie smiled, looking at their son and holding him just a little bit tighter. She looked right back at him, her glimmering eyes full of bliss.

"I love you so much, Oliver."

Oliver felt fortunate for being loved by someone so admirable as Katie. But there wasn't a day in which he wasn't grateful for being allowed the chance to love her in return.

"I love you too, Katie. Always"


End file.
